


Fairytale of California

by conniptionns



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Christmas prompt!, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-21 23:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13153968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conniptionns/pseuds/conniptionns
Summary: prompt: "Christmas doesn't have to be about family, you know?" just screams jerejean.





	Fairytale of California

**Author's Note:**

> She's back? She's back!

Winter break with the Trojans was the exact opposite of how Jean had experienced with the Ravens. Back at Edgar Allen, the exy team was required to stay in the Nest through break. In California, USC had a rule that students were required to vacate the dorms no later than 24 hours after their last exam finished.

Jeremy had spent all week cycling through the two emotions of exam week—unbearable anxiety over grades and unrestrained joy for the impending holidays. Jean supposed, in Jeremy’s defense, that Organic Chemistry was probably the worst thing in the history of human existence, but Jean understood the anxiety.

Jean’s hardest class was Anatomy and Physiology of the Hearing Mechanism, and he was convinced that the final was going to straight up murder his ass. What Jean didn’t really relate to was the Christmas joy that seemed to be vibrating off his roommate and captain. When Jean thought about the holidays he only felt more anxiety because what was Christmas without a family or home?

Though much of the week leading up to the break was the same as it was with the Ravens; studying with teammates in the Science Library until they were kicked out at three in the morning. One difference was that there were no practices at all during exam week. In fact, after the season ended, they didn’t really practice anymore—just went to conditioning once a day to stay in shape for spring training.

This was Jean’s first week without practice—ever, and it was actually the greatest thing that had ever happened to him. At first, he had been stricken at the thought of there being no exy, but when he told his teammates that he wanted to practice anyway, almost everyone on the team came by to one of the times that Jean had told them he was going to be on the court. There weren’t ever enough people to have a real practice or even play a scrimmage, but it was enough time with just a few of his teammates for Jean to grow closer to them.

It was nothing like the camaraderie he had with the Ravens; mostly thanks to the fact that the Trojans built trust and fellowship and the Ravens built fear and pain. After one semester with the Trojans, Jean almost didn’t mind that his teammates mostly goofed off while he tried to practice. He was frustrated that he didn’t think he would ever be able to cut loose in the way the Trojans did, but Jeremy assured him that he had come so far since he joined their team.

* * *

 

Jean opened the door to their dorm after his A&P final to find Jeremy—in Christmas flannels, one of Jean’s thick winter scarves in a deep burgundy, and nothing else—singing into a candy cane.

“Jere?” The door slowly swung shut behind Jean. Jeremy didn’t respond, so Jean headed over to, his bluetooth speakers sitting on his desk, to turn down the music. He noticed the Christmas stickers that now adorned it and his laptop that he had left plugged up when he left for his exam that morning.

Jeremy had climbed halfway up his lofted bed and was holding onto the bedpost. Jean rolled his eyes at the man’s antics. It was almost hard to believe he had captained a collegiate exy team that was currently ranked number two in the country.

“Jean! My man! Sia dropped a Christmas album—the holidays have officially begun—

__ I'm Santa's helper and I've got your back  
_ All my love is gift-wrapped _ __  
_ Don't be scared, I'm by your side _ __  
_ I'm Santa's helper, give your fears to me _ __  
_ I'll take them home, baby _ _  
_ __ And return them as sunshine— ”

Jeremy dropped down from his pseudo-stage, walking over to take Jean’s bookbag from him. Jean stood, shell-shocked, as Jeremy carried his bag over to the futon, dropping it and snatching up a snowflake covered blanket in one smooth motion. He came and draped the blanket over Jean’s shoulders like a cape. Jean didn’t think he had dressed especially Christmas-y that morning, but the blue and white blanket made his black jeans and dark blue thermal look like a non-denominational holiday outfit.

Jean was brought out of his thoughts when Jeremy started screeching another song into the candy cane, that was beginning to reminisce a Christmas shank.

“ _ Oh how much, oh how much _ __  
_ For the puppy in the window? _ __  
_ I can see him being so alone _ _  
_ __ I believe he sees a friend in me

_ — _ Jean you were my puppy in the window!” Jean was beginning to wonder if Jeremy had contraband eggnog hidden in the dorm somewhere.

“No! You’re my best friend from the old dog pound!” Jeremy broke into song, “ _ Found my best friend now from the old dog pound _ —”

 

* * *

“Fuck, I’m hungover.”

Jean snorted. “You haven’t slept yet. How are you hungover?”

“Shhh! I don’t know, I just am. That’s just how this works now,” Jeremy said, petulant.

“Have you even packed Jeremy Michael Knox?” Jean asked.

“God, that’s literally my mother if her voice dropped like three octaves.” Jeremy slid off the futon and, subsequently, Jean’s lap, landing on the floor in a heap. “I think it’s all packed. I mean it’s not like we have to move out yet. Just take enough to get us through Christmas.”

Jeremy rolled over quicker than a hungover Jeremy could, leading Jean to believe Jeremy just wanted to lay his head in Jean’s lap and have him play with his curls. “Are you packed?”

Jean breathed heavily out of his nose. He had been dreading this question.

“No, I’m planning on just staying at Adam’s apartment while everyone is gone. I’m just going to toss whatever I find in a bag—they have a washer.”

Jeremy got a positively devastated look on his face. “You’re not staying in town for Christmas are you?”   


“Yes. I am,” Jean said.

“Jean. No, you can’t. Christmas can be celebrated alone, but it’s your first Christmas in California, which is banned. No being alone on your first Christmas out here.”

Jean rolled his eyes. He didn’t know how to put this delicately. “My family sold me to pay a debt. I don’t imagine now that I’ve repaid that debt, that I can just show up for Christmas dinner?” Jean asked drily.

“Jean, Jean, Jean. Where is the Christmas rulebook that says you have to be with family on Christmas? Christmas doesn’t have to be about family, you know? I mean—Buddy the Elf said it best: the best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear. I don’t think I heard family in there.”

“Yes, well. I was raised that family is an important and integral part of Christmas, and I would rather not celebrate at all, than pretend that it doesn’t matter to me,” Jean said. He really did not want to have this conversation. He hadn’t even gotten all of his brain cells back from his last final.

“Jean,” Jeremy said. “Jean look at me.” Jean slowly and sarcastically turned to look at Jeremy. He didn’t want him to see how upset he truly was.

“I’m fine Jeremy. I have not celebrated Christmas in a long time. Besides, only religious holidays were allowed at Edgar Allen and the only religious person there was Thea, and a Muslim hardly would celebrate Christmas.”

Jeremy walked over to unwrap Jean’s arms from around his torso. “Jean, family is so so important to me, too. I would never tell you that something you care about is worthless. What I meant was—Christmas doesn’t have to be about biological family.”

“If you’re going to spout off some feel good nonsense about how the Trojans are my family now, I will duct tape you to the wall,” Jean grumbled, fighting a smile.

“Well, that was going to be a point—don’t huff! It was only going to be a little point. Here, come sit with me.” Jeremy dragged him over to the futon. “My little sister is four. Yeah, give me a weird look. I know I’m twenty-three. My parents started fostering when they realized that they couldn’t have another child, which was when I was around fourteen.”

“What does this have to do with Christmas? If you’d like, I can buy her a small gift. Do little girls still like ponies?”

Jeremy interrupted. “You’re not getting my sister a pony, Jean. What I meant was, she’s not my family—”

Jean interrupted to begin his tirade. “Jeremy I cannot believe you would ever say something like that. Do you know what it means to be taken in by people and not being loved by them? I’ve told you some things that I certainly would not have said if I knew that you did not love such a small, little girl—”

“Jean, I love Tali more than anything in the world, and I can certainly promise you that if you think I’m that kind of man—the kind of man who thinks that love only flows by blood—then we need to be having an entirely different conversation first. My point was, Tali isn’t my blood family. I didn’t hold her as my baby sister in the hospital, and in fact, she didn’t come into my life until she was three years old.

“But the whole point of family is choosing to love someone and carrying them in your heart, even when you’re not with them. Tali is just as much my family as my mother and father are.”

“Good. She is so small and needs love from a family. It doesn’t matter if your family is not her blood, she will know your love all the same.”

“Jean, can’t you see that’s my point? When you were sick last month, what do you remember?”

“I remember that your mother took off work and drove in rush hour traffic to come baby me for a whole day. I cannot believe you left me alone with her! I thought she was going to strap me to the futon and get me a drip of chicken noodle soup.” Jean shared a laugh with Jeremy, remembering when Jeremy walked back from class to find Jean under four blankets, with Mrs. Knox hovering over him, trying to feed him the thick broth between coughing fits.

“Okay, what about when your car got a flat and you couldn’t drive on it?”

Jean squinted suspiciously before responding, “Your dad FaceTimed me and talked me through changing a tire.”

“And?”

“—And, he sent me an emergency kit with a small air compressor the next week...”

* * *

 

“And that’s the story of how your dad convinced me to come home with him for Christmas because we were already family,” Jean told his daughter, Élodie.

“Okay, Papa, but my mommy didn’t. Don’t you get it?” Élodie asked with tears in her eyes.

“Oh mon chouchou,” Jean sighed and kissed her head. Jeremy stood in the doorway, waiting to jump in the moment Jean needed him. “My sweet girl. There are some people in this world that are given someone so perfect to love, but the problem is, they’re not ready to love yet—perhaps not ever. Did you know my Maman and Papa were ready to love my brother and sister but not me? Sometimes, parents are given children that they don’t know how to love. Occasionally, they will keep those children out of a sense of duty, and the child will grow in a loveless environment, growing to believe that there is no love in the world. And other times, mon chouchou, these parents find within themselves to give their child the only act of love they know how. They give them to other families to love.

“Your Maman was just sixteen years old. She did not yet love herself and could not fathom loving another in the way she believed you deserved. So your Maman called an agency and said that she wanted to personally find the most loving people in the world for her baby. She said that Élodie Ann! that she didn’t know how to love you, but what she did know was how to find you the most loving parents in the world. I think that what your Maman had to do was absolutely the most loving thing she could have done for you.” Jean wrapped up his little girl in a hug. Maybe if he held her close enough, he could protect her from anything that would hurt her.

Jeremy stepped forward. “Bug, do you think that your Mama made the right choice? Do you think that she found you a home where you are loved? If you feel unloved, Dove, I hope that you would tell us. There are times when we don’t know how to speak the love language of the ones that we love most, and as a result, they go through this life feeling unloved. Your Papa and I want to make sure that we love you in the way that you need, and we do that the best way we know how.”

“Daddy, I think that you and Papa love me s’much! Prolly to the moon and back this many times,” she said, throwing her arms wide.

Jeremy chuckled and squeezed her up into a hug, making her squeal that his beard was tickling her. Jean looked onto the scene and felt like his chest would burst from the love he felt. Maybe Christmas wasn’t about family, just love.

**Author's Note:**

> I revived @exychamp ;-; I missed you all too much. hmu over there if you want to shout at me for going AWOL
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


End file.
